Conventional household clothing washers use anywhere from about 60 liters to about 190 liters of water to wash a typical load of clothing articles. The spent water and cleaning agents are then dumped into sewage. Furthermore, the water is frequently heated to improve wash effectiveness and usually requires a large amount of energy to be put into the articles as heat in order to vaporize the retained water and dry the articles. The combination of high water usage, high-energy usage and disposal of cleaning additives in the detergent can put a large strain on the environment.
Conventional perchloroethylene (PERC) professional dry cleaning solvent has been shown to be hazardous to human health as well as to the environment. Use of a cyclic siloxane composition as a replacement for PERC is described in Kasprzak, U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,930 and Dullien et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,135. The use of a siloxane solvent in laundering has been shown to result in reduced wrinkling, superior article care, and better finish than water washing. Furthermore, the siloxane solvent has a lower heat of vaporization than water. Compared to water, the siloxane solvent can be more easily dried out of the article. If a washing machine contained a solvent based cleaning cycle, the solvent cycle could replace some or all of the washing currently being done in water, which would result in a significant reduction in energy and water use.
There are currently commercial dry cleaning machines, which use a cyclic siloxane dry cleaning process, but these machines present several barriers to in-home use. Conventional commercial dry cleaning machines are generally much larger than typical home washing machines, and would not fit within typical washrooms. The commercial dry cleaning machines typically require high voltage power (>250V) and often require separate steam systems, compressed air systems, and chilling systems to be attached externally. The solvent amount generally stored in the commercial dry cleaning machines is usually more than about 190 liters, even for the smallest capacity commercial machines. The typical dry cleaning facility has both solvent cleaning and water cleaning machines on the premises and uses each machine for their separate functions. The prior art commercial dry cleaning machines are typically designed to be operated by a skilled employee and do not contain appropriate safety systems for either in-home locations or for general use. In many states, the use of commercial dry cleaning machines by the general public is forbidden.
What is needed is an article cleaning apparatus, which can be accommodated in an in-home or coin-op laundry setting. It would additionally be desirable to have an article cleaning apparatus with the option to clean with either solvent or water. An article cleaning apparatus that could also perform the drying function typically performed in the dryer would further be desired.